by Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

by Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Every year, one show gets one of broadcast TV's most coveted time slots and most obvious signs of network support: the launch-pad after the Super Bowl. This year, the show getting that Feb. 3 slot is CBS' Sherlock Holmes update, Elementary.

"The fact that CBS is giving us that slot after the Super Bowl only maintains that they are really behind the show," says Lucy Liu, who plays Watson opposite Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock Holmes. "We feel very honored about that."

So what is the show going to do with the slot now that it has it? Producer Rob Doherty says he's aiming at an hour that will offer some fun surprises for fans while also entertaining new viewers. "It's this incredible opportunity to expose the show to people who may not have checked it out yet. So we tried to keep that in mind."

What they'll see is a show that has worked over the last few episodes to develop the growing friendship between Sherlock and Watson -- one where she is moving from being a sober companion to an actual, crime-solving partner. And, obviously, it's a show where Watson is a woman, a change, says Doherty, most viewers have accepted.

As for those who haven't, his advice is simple: "Anyone genuinely upset by that, my advice for them would be 'please, move along.' "

Those who have kept up know that Elementary has begun to plunge into the Holmes mythology, from Irene Adler to Moriarity, while also showing us the darker side of its hero. Which is fine with Miller.

"When you are trying to bring a character to an audience and therefore tell stories, any time you get to color that with history and emotion and those dark sides that are part of all of us, that's really the bread and butter of what we do.â?¦ One thing I love about this character is that he's quite raw, and his struggles are on the surface."

Raw or not, he's also become very popular. Even without the Super Bowl, Elementary has been one of the new season's most successful new series. It's a level of success Miller says he never expected. "You're first goal is to stay on the air. That's your first goal with any new show. â?¦ Just to be given a full season order was exciting for us."